We had thought of a newsletter some time ago but didn’t progress with it due to other commitments, but we should really produce one from now as there is quite a bit going on at the moment. Please contact me at info@bene.ie to receive the first one we produce.

I am in total agreement with BENE aims.
It is important to coalesce as strength lies in numbers. We have to remove fear and ignorance.
Aimed information is vital.
Informed experts on communication are more important than technical brilliance.
We need a plan to communicate to people who are biased, fearful, suspicious.
T0 understand this message requires mental energy. So it must be short and simple.

We’re at the start of such communication effort and it is a challenge, to say the least! Would you know of anyone who could help us in this regard? No problem if no name springs to mind! We think we have a good, simple message prepared after much work but need help in spreading the word.

Regarding get togethers: I’m addressing a group in TCD on Thursday evening if that is of interest.

Then, we’re holding a small public outreach event (Stand Up For Nuclear) on College Green (we think!) on Sunday afternoon October 20th at which a good few of will be there.

And there is a potentially very interesting evening being planned for Clonmel for Weds October 23rd if sufficient numbers are confirmed.

Do any of these suit you? You can contact me at the info at bene.ie address to correspond on this if you like.

The ban is a classic chicken and egg situation: There will be little interest in rescinding the ban unless there is seen to be a need to do so, but they won’t see the need until they look at nuclear which they won’t do because it is banned.

So, you’re right – drop the ban and then leave it up to planning, economics, social reaction, environmental protection, etc to determine whether a plant gets built. But it would be a prerequisite to have broad political support for a nuclear programme as it would not do to have a new government impose new requirements on a nuclear plant owner or even to scrap the deal completely.

Which means also that a public body (either a new state body or an existing Semi-State such as ESB, Bord Gais, etc) should own the asset.

Molten Salt Reactors are making satisfactory progress in various countries but are still a bit further away than we would like. Thorium is even further behind Uranium salt reactors, but it would be great if they become viable and commercial.

Meantime, I tend to stay away from ‘picking a winner’ on the technology front but concentrate on reactors that either suit Ireland now (Westinghouse AP1000 with a dedicated interconnection capacity, or possibly a CANDU) or are likely to appear before 2030 (NuScale SMR or the Chinese HTMR / ‘Pebble Bed’ or even the Moltex Stable Salt Reactor).

You can contact me by email if you’d like to follow up any of these options offline, if you like.

Organized by Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, PDPU Gandhinagar on June 8, 2020 (Monday) at 11 AM NO REGISTRATION FEE E-CERTIFICATES WILL BE GIVEN TO ALL PARTICIPANTS Visit for more detail...